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Baby elephants captured for tourists’ delight

Watch how Thailand's tourist Industry is driving a brutal trade in baby elephants

BRITISH tourists visiting Thailand are being asked to boycott its famous
elephant camps because many of the animals are caught illegally in the wild.

More than 800,000 British people visit Thailand each year, with many drawn to
the country’s 80-odd elephant camps to ride on or be photographed with the
animals.

This weekend, however, Richard Benyon, the environment minister, said many of
the animals were illegally captured from the wild, a process that threatens
the species.

He said: “Before tourists visit these elephant camps or take a picture of
themselves with the animals they should understand that behind them is a
cruel and miserable trade that needs to be stamped out.”

Benyon’s call comes as environment ministers from more than 170 countries
converge on Bangkok, the Thai capital, for the latest round of talks under
Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.